1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a laundry detergent composition suitable for laundering textiles, such as clothing, linens and the like. In particular, it relates to a laundry detergent composition that causes textile wrinkles to be eliminated or minimized after the cleaning and drying process.
2. The Related Art
Mechanical wrinkle reduction techniques, such as heat and pressure (for example, ironing), have been used but can be time consuming and inconvenient. Known attempts to reduce wrinkles by means of chemical ingredients in the wash include the use of zwitterionic surfactants, aminosilicones, curable aminosilicones, cellulase enzymes and alkyl amides. However, each of these ingredients have one or more drawbacks. For example, zwitterionic surfactants are believed to work best in cold water. Aminosilicones can cause yellowing and can be difficult to formulate. Curable aminosilicones require the heat of an iron to reduce wrinkles. Cellulase enzymes generally require several wash cycles before anti-wrinkle benefits become noticeable. Alkyl amides are not very effective relative to other wrinkle reducing agents.
Therefore, there is a need for an effective and efficient means for eliminating or reducing wrinkles in textiles during the laundering process. To be effective and efficient, the ingredient should preferably work across a broad range of water temperatures, not require the use of an iron, have little to no discoloration effect on the laundered item and/or provide a noticeable wrinkle reducing benefit after relatively few wash cycles.
The present application relates to the inclusion of one or more wrinkle reducing ingredients in a laundry detergent product. The benefits are delivered to the laundered item during the cleaning step and, therefore, reduces the need for further wrinkle reducing steps when the items are taken from the dryer or after hang drying.
The inventive, hydrophilically modified oils that facilitate the benefit of wrinkle reduction are believed to lubricate fiber surfaces. By lubricating the fiber surfaces of garments, for example, the fibers slide more easily relative to each other and are less likely to entangle, resulting in fewer wrinkles. The inventive fiber lubricants disclosed herein have the ability to noticeably reduce the number of wrinkles. The inventive fiber lubricants also overcome one or more of the above noted disadvantages of prior wrinkle reducing agents or methods.
While it is known that lubricants can be used to reduce wrinkles in textiles, it was surprisingly found that these inventive materials work from a main wash detergent. More particularly, main wash detergents are highly diluted and are subject to one or more rinse cycles. Such high dilution and rinsing would be expected to diminish or eliminate the desired wrinkle reduction effect of the lubricant.